Brand matters a LOT when it comes to batteries. Bastex is the official Zerolemon retailer on Amazon, but that's not a Zerolemon battery. The generics and off brands are VERY hit and miss, and are also what cause fires or explosions. It's been documented- go read some stories about exploding batteries... they're pretty scary. Li-ion batteries are not good to leave to the lowest bidder or discarded low-quality stock. Brands that are good:

Zerolemon (what I use on my Note 3s)
Seidio (I love their cases)
Mugen Power
Hyperion
Anker (what I use for large external batteries and my chargers too)

I use a Q-Cell 4.1AH battery on my Epic Touch (Sprint variant Galaxy S2) and it's been great- but it has mixed reviews in the Android forums. It seems to be the best main-line large battery for the S2 line though... unless you want to pay out the nose for one of the above brands, not all of which make S2 batteries- the Q-Cell seems to be the only decent way to go. It does have excellent reviews on Amazon.

With my Q-Cell 4.1AH, I can last all day long on the Epic Touch with all the antennas and services turned on. This is with moderate/heavy usage and good signal.

I love the s2. It's been great to me other than last weeks random kernel crash. (r-flashed it and its been fine since) I have the cyanogenmod 4.2 rom on it. It's as up to date as the s4 is.

I had an s3. It broke in just 2 months. and it was in my pocket when it happened. I hit a wall, railing, or something and it cracked in half. fragile whore. Thus, I had no upgrade path and paying full price for another one was not an option. So, I got the s2 for cheap from a hacker who wanted my broken s3. worked out good. I'm not elig for an upgrade until august, so I'm not paying $700 for a fucking phone.

this takes a 32gig card. I don't even have one in it. I still have 5 gb free. no need to. Anything important auto-syncs to google on wifi (all my pictures and shit is on g+ in "private" folders).

the size is perfect. I don't want a portable tv in my pocket.

The battery is just a few years old now and needs to be replaced.

The later linked one seems to be slightly bigger at 7.03 wH vs my 6.11 which is nice. Not sure that I need 2 and an external charger though.

who needs to tether when it has a hotspot app that's free because it's an unlocked device not tied to a carrier?
I have 4.2 on it
display res is fine... I'm not trying to watch hdtv on my phone. its a PHONE
8mp camera is fine. if im taking real pics I'm not using my phone to do it. how many more pixels do you need to see my food?
sure, the ram and proc are less, but I notice no lag... so why do I need more?

the wireless charging would be cool, but honestly, i'd never use it.

when my contract is ready, and this phone is dead... i'll get the s4, or its replacement. until then, it's everything I need it to be.

I keep forgetting most people have to pay for tether since I haven't had an actual phone bill in forever. Except the Nokia thing I had for 2 months.

I use my phone for everything though. From photos to remote access. I do most of my HS browsing on it since you upgraded the forum. My phone tracks what I eat and all the cool beers I've tried and haven't tried yet.

that Mega is ridiculous
how the hell is someone supposed to cart that huge bitch around without a damn purse/murse
i just want a full featured android smart phone with a 4 inch screen and a damn SD slot
i hate that most all of the new "mini" models took away the damn SD card

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My Note 3 slides into my pocket just fine with the giant 10AH battery on it. It weighs right at a pound, and the extra thickness from the case gives my bear paws something larger to hold onto. I love it. At least it doesn't look big when I'm using. Now my wife on the other hand... she can't use it with one hand. It's right about the limit of what I can use one-handed. The Mega would probably be a bit large for me.

I love the s2. It's been great to me other than last weeks random kernel crash. (r-flashed it and its been fine since) I have the cyanogenmod 4.2 rom on it. It's as up to date as the s4 is.
The later linked one seems to be slightly bigger at 7.03 wH vs my 6.11 which is nice. Not sure that I need 2 and an external charger though.

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If you've already updated kernel/ROM then you're good. I'm using my S2 as a portable mini-tablet for stuff that needs a separate device (and that I don't want to pollute my main phone with) since it's not worth much on the resale market. Once I'm done offloading all my old crap, it'll get flashed with a new kernel and ROM.

if im taking real pics I'm not using my phone to do it. how many more pixels do you need to see my food?
the wireless charging would be cool, but honestly, i'd never use it.
when my contract is ready, and this phone is dead... i'll get the s4, or its replacement. until then, it's everything I need it to be.